The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present invention. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention.
Targeting, imaging and treatment of cancer cells using biocompatible nanomaterials is one ultimate goal for a versatile number of studies in different fields of science, engineering, and medicine [1-9]. Nanomaterials are widely investigated and tested by researchers from different fields due to their unique features not observed at the macroscale of the same material [1, 2]. However, there are still challenges in the field to discover nanoagents that provide sensitive and accurate targeting, detection, treatment, and monitoring of cancer cells.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.